Tuesday

A visit with friends

Jenny and I drove to Midland today to visit a dear friend of ours and her family. We left about, oh, 10:30 or so and drove the 2 hours through pretty boring terrain. Mesquite trees and pump jacks. We stayed about 4 hours, had lunch, then drove back to Lubbock.

So why post about that? Because relationships are important. So important that four hours of boring driving to spend four hours of with a friend will always leave us richer, moe whole. We didn't do anything special. We ate with the family, looked at pictures, played with a baby boy and a 2 year old, talked, laughed and prayed together. We encouraged one another, challenged each other and left one another blessed.

And contrary to life in America (or anywhere else folks have enough money not to need each other), people are more important than things. Jenny and Deacon and I are important to our friend and her family. Why? Because we give each other stuff? Don't think so. We're important just because we are. We share a love with this family just because we do. We talk about the Lord, about our struggles, our fears. We pray for each other and we do more than say, "Jesus, we lift them up to you and ask you to be with them. Amen." We just talk to God together and thank Him and ask Him to help us. And somehow in eating and talking and laughing and praying we are strengthened and made more whole than before.

In John 17, Jesus prays for all those who will believe because of the testimony of the disciples. He doesn't pray that we get more stuff or keep up with the Joneses or even that we would have energizing worship services and happy lives. He prays that we would be one even as He and he Father are one. He prays that because of our unity the world would know that God loves them and sent Jesus to them. Is Christianity today a picture of unity? Is it more important that we worship with the right lighting or that we worship as one? It seems that the church has left her moorings in search of wholeness when unity in the Body of Christ is the holiest (and most whole) things that can happen. And I think that unity is better demonstrated in relationships than anywhere else.

Anyway...it's really nice to have friends to love...and be loved in return.